Viber is the messaging app that quietly built a massive global user base while Western tech media focused on WhatsApp and Messenger. Founded in 2010 by Israeli entrepreneurs Talmon Marco and Igor Magazinnik, Viber launched as a free calling app for iPhone and quickly expanded to Android, desktop, and other platforms.
Rakuten, the Japanese e-commerce giant, acquired Viber in 2014 for $900 million. Under Rakuten’s ownership, Viber has grown to over 1 billion registered users and about 260 million monthly active users. The app is especially dominant in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Southeast Asia. In countries like Ukraine, Greece, and the Philippines, Viber is the default messaging app.
The platform offers the standard messaging features — text, voice messages, video calls, group chats, and stickers (Viber’s sticker market is huge and a meaningful revenue stream). It also includes Viber Communities, which are public group chats that can hold unlimited members, functioning somewhat like Telegram channels.
Viber activated end-to-end encryption for all one-on-one and group communications in 2016, making it one of the early mainstream apps to encrypt everything by default. The app also offers disappearing messages and hidden chats for additional privacy.
Viber Out lets users make paid calls to landlines and mobile numbers that aren’t on Viber, competing with Skype’s similar offering. Viber for Business provides tools for brands to communicate with customers through business messages, chatbots, and advertising within the app.
The app’s business model relies on a mix of sticker sales, Viber Out call credits, and business messaging revenue. While it doesn’t get the attention of WhatsApp or Telegram in US and Western European markets, Viber remains a critical communication tool for hundreds of millions of people.
